Screw attachment for sausage stuffers



Oct. 30, 1951 L.. J. F. ELL 2,572,917

SCREW ATTACHMENT FOR sAUsAGE STUFFERS Filed Feb. T, 1948 I IN1/E TOR.

Arm/iwfy l Patented Oct. 30, 1951 SCREW ATTACHMENT FOR SAUSAGE STUFFERS Lars Johan Faith Ell, Stockholm, Sweden, as-

signor to Aktiebolaget Elektrolux, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Application February 7, 1948, Serial No. 6,883 In Sweden June 10, 1941 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires June 10, 1961 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for filling or stuffing sausage casings or similar tubular flexible enclosures, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide a device which is attachable to a meat grinder or similar mincing orgrinding apparatus and from which the ground material will be fed directly with a uniform feed into the sausage casing.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a tapering or funnel-shaped delivery tube over which the sausage casing is fitted and from which the ground or minced material is delivered into the casing. The invention further includes the provision of a spiral feeding screwlocated within and extending for a substantial portion of the length of the tapering feed'tube, which screw is provided with means whereby itis coupled in a simple but effective manner to the spiral feeding screw or worm contained within the body of the grinder. An arrangement as above described prevents undue compacting and possible clogging of the ground material in the feed tube and insures uniformity of delivery of the material into the casing, eliminating looseness and the formation of air spaces within the resultant sausage.

These and other objects to be hereinafter disclosed, are attained by the invention hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

AIn the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional View, showing the improved construction;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of a portion of the delivery tube, the section being taken at right angles to that of Fig., 1, and

Fig. 3 shows a sheet metal strip, constituting a blank from which the auxiliary feeding spiral o1' screw is produced.

v In Fig. 1 of the drawing, I0 indicates the housing portion of a meat grinder intended to be fitted to a suitable electrically-operated machine of a type employed in the household for mixing and various other purposes. Such a machine, a part of which is generally indicated at I I, is provided with a collar I2 which encloses the driving shaft of the machine. Arranged within the housing I of the grinder is a spiral feed worm I4 which, when the grinder is fitted on the machine, is arranged to couple with the drive shaft and be rotated thereby.

The front or outlet end of the grinder housing I0 is threaded as indicated at I5 for the reception of a gland nut or ring I6 which clamps be nel-shaped material-delivery tube I8. Throughv this arrangement it will be apparent that when the delivery tube I8 is aixed to the outlet end of the housing I6 as above described, said tube I8 will constituteva rigid extension of the outlet and over which the open end of the sausage casing may be slipped to directly receive theminced or ground meat directly from the tapered open end I 9 of the delivery tube I3.

Located within the delivery tube I8 and extending through the same for a substantial portion of the length of said tube, and preferably, but not necessarily, for at least more than onehalf of the length of the tube I8, is an auxiliary feed screw or spiral member 20. Accordingto the present embodiment of the invention, the auxiliary feed screw 2B can be formed from a spirally twisted, elongated strip 2i of relatively thin sheet metal, said strip in blank form and before being twisted into spiral shape being clearly disclosed in Fig. 3.

Near one of its ends, the strip 2I is formed with a widened head portion 22 from which exf tends a tab portion 23, the latter portion being provided with anon-round opening 24, preferably, but not necessarily, square in shape. In the formation'of the auxiliary" feed screw 2li, the

tab portion 23 of the blank or strip 2I is bent at' substantially right angles to the longitudinal axis of the feed screw, and the non-round aperture 24 is then fitted over apin 25 of correspond# ing shape formed on and constituting an extension of the end of the grinder feed screw I4. In order to clear the end portion'21 of the pin 25, which end portion of the pin normally nts through an opening in the usual perforated disk of the grinding machine when said disk is tted in place during the conventional grinding opera-v tion, the widened portion 22 of the auxiliary feed screw 20 is formed with the aperture 28. The widenedportion 22 of the auxiliary feed screw 20 is so Shaped as to provide the two laterally extending wings 29 which, as shown in Fig. 2, are operative against the inside surface of the wider or flared end of the tapering delivery tube I8. These wing portionsv thus serve as bearings for the auxiliary feed screw 20 and thus also for the forward end of the grinder feed screw I4 which is coupled tothe auxiliary feed screw 2?! in the manner set forth.

From the foregoing, the operation of the device will be readily understood. `The material-feedshaped portion the pin 25, and by clamping the delivery tube over the outlet end of thegrinder housing by means of the gland-nut or ringV I6. During the rotation of the grinder feed screw I4',

the ground meet or other material will be fed thereby into the delivery tube I8 and` as the auxilterial twisted in the form of a screw, and such strip including radially extending wing portions adapted tofengage the innergsurfacerofA the relatively wide' section of the hollowtube.:

2. The combination with a meat grinder housing provided with an opening and a rotatable feed wormA in the housing having a discharge end at the vicinity of the opening, of a device for f stufng sausages and the like comprising an iary feed screw I8 is now coupled to the grinder feed screw I4 and constitutes an'extensionof the same and is rotated therewith, it is apparent that4 the material will be fed smoothly and continuously through the delivery tube I8 and-intothe sausage casing fitted over the outlet end |92 of the tube. When it is no longer desirectto use the apparatus for sausage-stufng purposes, the delivery tube. and the auxiliaryy feed screw 20 areremoved by unthreading of the nut I6 and the conventional perforated grinder disk may then be clamped' between the outlet end of the grinder housing I Il andthe nut I6 and the'grinder is then ready for the resumption of its normal grinding operation. Y

It is to be noted thatthe wing4 portions 29, beingoperative against the flared inner surface of'y the. delivery tube I8 act' to prevent any forward axialshifting movement. of the' auxiliary feed screw 20 while the device is.Y inloperation. Also, the feed worm I4 in the direction of its length isspacedfromthe wall of the housing IU, as indicated at 30 in Fig; 1, whereby the feed worm and'auxiliary feed screw are supported by the hollow tube I8.

While I have herein suggested that the auxiliary feed screw 20. mightbe formed from strip or sheet material of substantially'uniform thicknessfr its 1'ength,.it.will be.` obvious thatv the screwY may be cast or otherwise formed of metal or, it mightbe producedY from a suitable plastic material, such as Bakelite orv the like. Also, while I have herein stated that the auxiliary'feed screw 20' is to be coupled to the pin 25 by being fitted over a non-round portion thereof, some other form ofV coupling or detachable joinder for these two elements might be hadLsuch as,rfor example, the. threading of the portion 23 on the shaft 25V andthe use of a retainingnut on said shaft to hold the auxiliary screw on the end ofthe shaft. These and' othermodifications will'bek readily apparent to thoseskilled. inthis art and are contemplated aswithinthe scope of; the .claims appended hereto.

What I claimvis:

1. The combination witha meat grinder housingV provided with, an opening. and a` rotatable feed worm in thehousinghavinga dischargeV end at the vicinity of. Athe opening, of a device forV stuiingA sausages and.l the like comprising an elongated hollow tube, means, for detachably mountingan inner. endV of the tube on the housing and into which material discharges through. the opening,r the hollow tubeV from. the inner end thereof toward the oppos-ite outer. end. including an'inner relatively wide flared out-sectionand a narrower outer section which is longer. than the inner section, anfauxiliary feed screw for. the hollow tube, means for detachably coupling one end ofr theV feed screw to` the discharge, end. ofthe feed worm for turning the feedscrew in the same directionc and at the samefspeedasthefeed Yworm when. the. latterrisT rotated, the..v feedlscrew. comprising an elongated strip ofessentially flat ma-v elongated hollow tube, means for detachably mountingan inner end of the tube on the housing and' into which material discharges through theopening, anauxiliary feed screw for the hollow tube, means for detachably coupling one end of the feed screw to the discharge end of the feed worm ffor turning the feed screw in the same direction-and at the same speed as the feed worm when the` latter is rotated, said feed screw com' prising an elongated strip of essentially fiat material twisted in the form of a screw, the means for detachably coupling thef feed screw to the feedV worm including a tab portion at one end of-r the strip which is substantially at a right'l angle tothe longitudinal axis of the feed screw,- andi the tab portion having an opening adaptedto` t' over a part at the discharge end ofthe feedworm to detachably couple thefeed worm andiv feed? screw to one another.

3. The combination with a rgrinder. housing provided with an opening' and a rotatable feedf worm in the housing having a discharge end: at? the vicinity of the opening, ofa device for stuffing? sausages and the likeY comprisinganl elongated hollow tube, means for detachably mounting` an inner end of the tube on the housing and into:y which material discharges.' through the opening,v the hollow tube from' theinner end thereof toward the opposite outer endincl'uding an' innerf relatively wide flared out section and anarrowerj outer section which i's longer than the inner.A section, an auxiliary feed screw for thehollowf tube in which a major-portion thereof is-disposed: within the narrower outer section thereof, meansf for detachably coupling one'end of the feedscrewr to the discharge end ofthe feed worm for turning' the feed screw in thesame direction and at the same speed as the feedworm when the latter: is rotated, the feed screw comprising an elngatedi strip of fiatA metallic material twisted'in the form'- of a screw, and such strip including diametri;- cally opposed ear portions extending radially outward from a region of the Vfeed'screw and adapted to engage the inner surface of the relatively wideJ section of the hollow tube.

4. The combination with agrinder housingI provided with an openingand a rotatable feed worm in the housing having a discharge end'at' the vicinity of the opening, of Ya device for stuffing sausages and the likefcomprising an elongated hollow tube, means for detachably mounting an4 inner end of the tube on the housing' an'c into= which material discharges through the opening, the hollow tube from the inner end thereof to"- ward the opposite outer endl including any innerv relatively wide flared out section anda narrower4 outer section which is longer'than the inner sec-f tion, an auxiliary feed screwfor the hollow'tube in which a major portion thereof is disposed within the narrower outersection thereof, means for detachably coupling oneend of the feed screw to the discharge end of the feed worm for'turning, the feed screw in the same direction and at the` same speed as the feedvwornrwhen the latter. is rotated, the feed screw comprisinganA elongated strip of essentiallyeflat r'naterial"v twisted' in` the' S form of a screw, such feed screw including spaced apart projecting portions forming radially extending ears or tabs adapted to engage the inner surface of the ared out section of the hollow tube, the means for detachably coupling the feed screw to the feed Worm including a part at one end of the strip which is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the feed screw and formed with a non-circular aperture, the discharge end of the feed Worm having an end portion of the same general shape as the last-mentioned aperture and adapted to receive the apertured end of the feed screw.

LARS JOHAN FAITH ELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

Number Number Sweden Apr. 27, 1943 

